When Weevils Attack
by GwenOwenforever
Summary: Rubbish at titles and summaries sorry! Gwen and Owen are at each other's throats and it's not until Gwen is attacked that Owen realises why. But is it too late when he decides to confess all?


**Disclaimer:** Torchwood is not mine. Nor do I own Katy Perry's "Thinking of You" or Bruno Mars' "Marry You". Both totally amazing songs!

**A/N:** Just like to say this idea was inspired by **Madbean**. Thanks again, you've been very helpful as always!

It was another stormy night in Cardiff as the SUV drove down the roads that were slowly turning to rivers. The atmosphere inside the car would have chilled anyone within a mile radius to the bone. Owen drove while Gwen sat in the passenger seat. Both were completely ignoring each other like they had been ever since the argument where Owen ended it all between them.

"Why does Jack insist on sending us out alone together?" Owen thought. "He's doing this on purpose, he must be. He knows something."

They were on their way to question a woman they suspected to be selling alien technology. Why it couldn't wait until the next day they didn't know. The question of why Jack had sent them when he knew they couldn't stand to be near each other right now, bounced around both their heads.

"Next left." Gwen said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah I know where I'm going thanks." Owen snapped.

"Like you did the other night when you got us lost for a whole two hours and the car broke down." She shot back.

"Just go back to ignoring me will you." He muttered.

"Piss off Owen." She mumbled.

"Trust me, I'd rather be anywhere but here. Unfortunately, we've got a job to do." He replied.

Gwen glared at him before turning to stare out the window.

When they pulled up outside the suspects house, Gwen slammed the car door and stormed up to the front door. Owen followed her slowly, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Let's just get this over and done with." Gwen mumbled.

"Gladly." Owen nodded.

She huffed and rang the doorbell. They put on false smiles as the door opened slowly.

"Hi, I'm Gwen Cooper and this is Owen Harper." They flashed fake police ID badges at the woman standing in the doorway. "Do you mind if we ask a few questions?"

"It won't take long." Owen added.

They left a few minutes later, no better off than they had been.

"She's lying." Gwen stated as they made their way back to the car.

"Yeah no shit Sherlock." Owen replied. "You know for an ex police officer, you're crap at this interrogation stuff."

"Oh and you were any better? You just sat there and said nothing." She argued.

"As a matter of fact, I was trying to intimidate her by staring her down." He told her.

"Yes she was really scared wasn't she." She replied sarcastically. "God, you're so annoying."

"Aaw, do I get on your nerves Gwen?" He asked. "I bet it's not half as much as you get on mine."

"You know what, I fucking hate you sometimes." She shouted.

"Make your own way back to the Hub then. I'm not forcing you to sit in a car with someone you hate." He snapped.

"Fine." She shrugged.

Every time they went out on their own, it ended in an argument and one of them would end up walking, usually Owen. He was sick of him being the one that had to walk back, it was Gwen's turn now.

He watched her storm off down the street as he climbed back into the SUV. As he drove past, he beeped the horn and waved earning the middle finger back.

Gwen froze as the rain suddenly began to pour down faster and harder. She gasped and hugged her jacket tight to her body. Gritting her teeth, she started the long walk back and thought of a hundred ways to kill Owen.

She'd only taken ten steps and she was soaked through to the bone. Her hair clung to her face in tangled strands and she shivered uncontrollably.

"Owen Harper, you're dead." She repeated over and over again in her head. Heavy footsteps sounded behind her and her heart began to pound. It was late at night now and the streets were empty. "Come on Gwen, you're just paranoid."

She refused to turn around and carried on walking. The footsteps followed her and she heard deep, ragged breaths, almost like growls. She felt at her side for her gun in her bag and cursed as she realised she'd left both in the SUV. Now she was weapon-less and alone.

She sped up but so did the footsteps. They were almost upon her when she smelled the stench of raw flesh and sewage. That was the stench any Torchwood operative would recognise. She started to run but she was grabbed from behind. Gwen was spun around and she screamed, throwing her hands over her face.

Owen returned to the Hub and walked over to his workstation. He threw the car keys to Ianto as he came out of Jack's office.

"Where's Gwen?" Ianto asked.

"Don't know. Don't care." Owen said simply as he sat down.

"When will you two just get over whatever happened between you?" Jack sighed as he joined them.

"Trust me Jack, that's never going to happen." He answered.

"One day, I'll lock you both down in a cell and not let you out until you learn to get along." Jack told him.

"Or kill each other." Owen muttered.

Jack rolled his eyes and growled in frustration. He held his hands in the air and shook his head.

"I give up." He said and walked away.

Ianto stayed for a few awkward seconds before hurrying away to his safety hide out in the archives.

The next morning, everyone arrived at the Hub except Gwen.

Tosh frowned as she glanced at the time every now and then.

"It's not like Gwen to be this late." Tosh said.

"She's probably sulking because I made her walk back in the rain last night." Owen shrugged.

Tosh rolled her eyes and picked up her phone.

"I'll give her a call." She said. Her phone went straight through to answer phone. "That's funny, I'll try her home phone."

The phone was answered after the first ring.

"Gwen?" A male voice asked anxiously.

"Hi, you must be Rhys. I'm a colleague of Gwen's, do you know where I could find her?" Tosh asked.

"No. She didn't come home last night." Rhys replied. "Do you know where she is? She didn't call last night and her phone's turned off. I've rung everyone I know but no one's seen her."

Rhys' voice started to grow thick with worry and Tosh thought he might be crying.

"Don't worry sir, I'm sure she's fine. We'll let you know if we hear anything." Tosh told him and put the phone down. She hurried over to Jack's office and stood in the doorway. "Jack, Gwen's gone missing. No one's seen or heard from her since last night."

Jack got up quickly and followed Tosh out to the computers.

"Owen, last night did Gwen have her comms with her?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I think so – I don't know. Why?" Owen answered.

"Tosh, do a scan of the area, see if you can track Gwen using her comms signal. Owen, Ianto, with me." Jack ordered.

"What? Why? She's probably just sulking like I said." He moaned.

"Get your ass down to the SUV now." Jack shouted. Owen sighed and reluctantly did as he was told. "We're going back to the place I sent you last night and we are searching the streets until we find her."

When they reached the place, Jack kicked Owen out of the car.

"Why do I have to be the one to search in the rain?" He complained.

"Because you left her alone last night. If anything's happened to her, it's your fault, you're responsible." Jack told him. "Now get going."

Huffing and puffing, Owen traced Gwen's footsteps back to the Hub.

He spotted something small and black on the floor ahead. He scooped it up and looked down at the remains of Gwen's phone. Tapping his ear, he waited for Jack and the others to do the same.

"Guys...you were right, something's happened. I've just found Gwen's phone smashed to pieces on the pavement." He told them, guilt starting to flood through him.

"Keep searching." Jack said, his voice more urgent than before.

Owen sped up as he searched the ground for any more signs.

His sharp eyes spotted tiny drops of blood and he prayed it wasn't hers. The drops grew to splatters then to huge pools. His heart was pounding against his chest. Through years of performing autopsies on the things, he realised the blood was a mixture of human and Weevil.

"Oh God. Please no." He whispered as he feared the worst. Further up the path, a few bushes grew on the side. He slowly walked forward, his eyes trained on them. A black shape began to grow clearer as he drew near. He saw it was a shoe, a woman's boot. "Shit." He ran over to the figure lying on the floor, covered in blood. Reaching out a shaking hand, he brushed the dark hair away out of her face. "Gwen, oh God." Her eyes were closed and her skin a deathly white. Her lips were a pale blue and she was soaked through. Deep scratches covered her face and as he looked closer, he noticed her clothes were torn and dark patches of blood stained them. One of her shoes was missing. Her left leg stuck out at an odd angle and her arm also looked broken. From the extent of Gwen's wounds, it couldn't have been just one Weevil, it had to have been a pack. "I've found her." He said to his earpiece. "She's..." He checked her pulse. Her heart was still beating slowly and she was breathing but barely. Her skin was icy cold. "She's alive but she's injured. I'm getting her an ambulance."

He pulled his phone out and dialled the number. He stood back, shaking from head to foot as he stared down at her. This was his fault. He should never have made her walk on her own. Damn him and his stupid pride.

Kneeling back down beside her, he took her uninjured hand in both of his. He gasped at just how cold she was. She needed to get out of those wet clothes and into something warm and dry but there was nothing he could do at that moment.

The ambulance arrived and he climbed in the back with her. His eyes never left her as the paramedics wrapped her up in blankets and gave her an oxygen mask. The female paramedic dropped a sheet over Owen's shoulders as she saw him shivering.

"What happened?" She asked.

Owen shook his head in response, still not looking away from Gwen. He couldn't tell these people the truth and he couldn't bring himself to lie.

"She was just – lying there." He answered.

"Do you know her?" She asked gently.

"Yes." He nodded. "We were – we – we work together. She went missing last night so we went looking for her."

They took Gwen into an operating theatre as soon as they reached the hospital. Owen paced the corridors, trying to rid that image of Gwen out of his head.

"Excuse me, were you the one who came with Miss Cooper?" A doctor asked him.

"Yeah, that was me." He nodded. "Is she ok? What's happened? Where is she?"

"She's stable. We've done our best to patch up her wounds and replaced much of the blood she's lost. Her leg and arm have been set in casts. I'm sorry to say though, Miss Cooper is in a coma. She has a severe case of hypothermia, she's lucky you brought her in. Any later..." The doctor told him.

"Can I see her?" He asked.

"Of course." He nodded and led Owen to Gwen's room.

Owen had to see Gwen with his own eyes to believe she was still alive.

When he entered the room, his eyes fell on the fragile looking figure in the bed. Her wet clothes had been replaced with dry hospital garments and layers and layers of blankets wrapped around her. Machines beeped around her.

He stepped over to her and sat down in a chair beside her. He reached for her uninjured hand and held it lightly in his. As he gazed at her, everything started to become clear.

His reasons for arguing with her all the time, for wanting to scream all the time when he couldn't stop staring at her or thinking about her.

Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

"Gwen, I'm so sorry." He whispered, tears threatening to fall. "I never meant for this to happen. I'm so sorry. If you can hear me – they always say it's good to talk to people in comas – I don't know if you can hear me though but if you can, I want you to know...I might not have spoken to you much these past couple of weeks and when I do...all I do is argue with you but...I don't mean any of it. I've just been so messed up lately. When you and I started...I admit, at first it was just a way to entertain myself. But then, I started to feel...different. It scared me. Then when I met Diane, it happened again but with her it was different. Diane...I wasn't second best with her. You've got Rhys and you could've turned to me at any point and said you wanted to end it all. When she left, I thought I had no one. I was just so angry at the world. I took it all out on you and I shouldn't have. What I'm trying to say is I -"

Owen was interrupted when the door burst open and the rest of the team hurried in.

"What happened?" Jack demanded.

"Weevils. A pack of them." Owen answered, dropping Gwen's hand quickly. "I don't know why they left her but they did. She must have put up a good fight, there was Weevil blood with...with hers."

"Have you told Rhys?" Tosh asked.

"No." Owen answered, hoping the others wouldn't hear the jealousy in his voice.

"We should call him." She told him.

He nodded and watched her disappear from the room.

"Jack, could you leave us alone please?" Owen asked.

"Sure. Come on Ianto, you can buy me a coffee." Jack grinned as he pulled the Welshman out of the room. He stopped in the doorway and let his smile drop as he addressed Owen. "You saved Gwen's life. What happened, it wasn't your fault. Forget what I said."

Jack let the door close between them.

He turned back to Gwen and held her hand once again. He ran his thumb across it and sat watching her.

Rhys arrived minutes later. Owen jumped out of the chair and let go of her hand as Rhys ran over to her.

"Gwen." He whispered, tears streaming down his face. "Please wake up sweetheart. Please, I love you." Owen looked down at the floor and tried to block him out but Rhys turned to look at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Owen. I...work with Gwen." He answered.

"You're the one that found her?" Rhys asked. Owen nodded, the image burning in his mind. He was surprised when the other man walked towards him and held out his hand. "Thank you. If it weren't for you...she wouldn't be here."

Owen shook his hand and gave him a small smile.

"Exactly, if it weren't for me, she _wouldn't_ be here. She'd be safe at home." Owen thought. Rhys let go and sat beside Gwen. "I'll leave you two alone." Taking one last longing look at Gwen, he left the room. He stopped as he reached the reception desk. "Miss Cooper in room four-oh-five, if she so much as moves a finger you call me." He grabbed a pen and a leaflet from the display and scribbled his number down. "I mean it. Even the tiniest movement, you call me, Owen Harper."

"I'm sorry Mr Harper. If Miss Cooper makes any progress, the first person we contact will be her partner or her family and since you are neither, I cannot call you." The receptionist told him.

"Yeah but I'm Torchwood. Do you know what Torchwood is?" He asked her.

"I – I know their business is top secret." She answered.

"Then you must know that that means it's important." He said. She nodded quickly. "Well this is very important and if you fail to pass on important information, you could be penalised. So if anything happens to Miss Cooper, you call me. Got it?" She nodded again, her eyes wide with fear. "Good."

He spun around and walked out of the hospital.

Back at the Hub, he stormed down to the target practice area and grabbed the nearest gun he could lay his hands on. He took aim and emptied the gun into several of the Weevil targets. He reloaded the gun and fired round after round, taking the heads off some of the targets and totally blasting the faces off others. His anger grew as he pictured Gwen, lying cold and damp in those bushes, blood pooled around her.

Finally, he placed the smoking guns back on the table, breathing heavily as he glared at the targets.

"Was wondering where you disappeared to." A voice said behind him.

Owen turned his head and spotted Jack leaning against the wall.

"Just came down to take some Weevils heads off." Owen told him. "Rhys still at the hospital?"

"Yeah." Jack nodded. Owen looked away feeling that jealousy thing again. "He said we can visit any time we want."

"But he'll be there with her." Owen mumbled.

"She's his girlfriend." Jack replied.

"Yeah, exactly. I can't sit in the same room as him when I'm the one she cheated -" Owen broke off and sighed.

"I know." Jack replied. "And I know why you've been at each other's throats these past couple of weeks."

"I've got work to be doing." Owen said quickly, not wanting to have this conversation with Jack.

The Captain sighed as he watched the younger man leave for the main area of the Hub.

Owen sat down at his computer and held his face in his hands. Why couldn't he be the one that got to stay at the hospital and hold her hand? Why couldn't he be the one to tell her he loved her and kiss her forehead?

He had to see her on his own. He had to tell her the things he couldn't say in front of anyone. He would get his time alone with her, even if he had to wait all day and night for Rhys to leave her side.

It turned out Rhys went to work in the mornings and spent his evenings with Gwen.

Owen would arrive early in the morning and leave just before Rhys arrived. He'd sit holding her hand and just talk.

He hated leaving her, he didn't want Rhys to be the one she woke up to.

It had been two weeks since Gwen had been brought to hospital and Owen was sitting as he usually did, watching Gwen's motionless form.

He lost track of time and jumped when Rhys entered the room. Rhys' eyes fell on Owen's hand holding Gwen's. Owen let go quickly and stood up.

"Sorry, I just came to see how she was. Everyone at work's been wondering." Owen told him quickly.

Rhys stepped up to Gwen's side and took her abandoned hand. Both men watched her in silence.

Suddenly, Gwen's finger twitched followed by her hand slowly closing around Rhys' then opening again.

"Gwen?" Rhys breathed. Owen held his breath as they watched her eyes open slowly. She squinted around the room and up at Rhys. Her eyes fell on Owen before looking back at Rhys. Pulling her hand out of Rhys', she fumbled with the oxygen mask and tried to pull it off. She wasn't strong enough and she gave up eventually, letting her hand fall limply on the bed. Rhys beamed and kissed her forehead. "You're awake. I can't believe it. God, I love you."

She managed a weak and tired smile back but she kept glancing at Owen.

"Welcome back." Owen said.

"I'll be right back sweetheart, I'm just going to ring your mum. She's been going crazy." Rhys told her.

He kissed her again before leaving the room.

Gwen and Owen stared at each other for a few seconds until she looked away and focused her gaze on the wall.

"I'm sorry Gwen." He whispered.

She reached up and pulled harder on the oxygen mask, finally managing to pull it away.

"What...what...are you...doing here?" She whispered.

Owen knew, if she was fully recovered, she'd be shouting at him.

"I came to see if you were ok." He told her.

"Why?" She asked.

"I come every day because...because I care." He answered. Gwen tried her best to glare at him and shake her head but she was too exhausted. Owen understood her attempt. "Yes I do. I care about you Gwen, I...I -"

He was interrupted by Rhys bounding into the room. Owen resisted the urge to scream in frustration. Every time he came close to telling her how he really felt, something would interrupt him.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Rhys asked gently.

"Tired...sore...disorientated." She answered. "What...what happened? I don't...remember."

"They said you were attacked by a gang of lads. They left you for dead." Rhys answered, choking back tears.

"That...no...that...doesn't sound right..." She frowned.

She searched through the hazy clouds of her memory, looking for the memories of that night. She remembered the argument with Owen and glared at him. The next thing she remembered was the cold and the rain.

Her hand reached for Rhys' as it all came flooding back.

_Something grabbed her jacket from behind, yanking her to a stop. Gwen was spun around and she screamed, throwing her hands over her face._

_The Weevil lunged at her, digging it's claws into her arms. She was bowled backwards onto the floor, the Weevil landing on her leg. Gwen screamed in agony as she heard the bone snap and felt a searing hot pain shoot through her body._

_She tried to push the Weevil off her, but it was too strong._

_It scrabbled at her body, scratching her with it's claws. She managed to shove it's shoulder hard enough to knock it backwards, just before it's teeth clenched around her throat._

_She screamed again as she tried to stand, the pain in her leg unbearable. Instead, she dropped to her hands and knees and crawled away as quickly as she could, dragging her broken leg behind her. Every move she made was agony._

_The Weevil was gaining on her once more and she did the only thing she could think of. She reached down and pulled off her boot and smashed the heel into the Weevil's face. It growled and pounced on her. She delivered blow after blow, knowing she must have injured it. But as the Weevil let go, howling in it's own pain, Gwen heard shuffling around her._

_Her eyes widened as she saw Weevils surrounding her, all advancing slowly. One lunged towards her, pinning her to the floor as the others piled in. She tried to crawl through a gap in the ranks but one grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her. Wrestling against it's grip, she felt her arm snap causing her to cry out._

_She sobbed as they piled on top of her, knowing it was all over. She couldn't fight them all off with a broken arm and leg. Her skin burned as they gouged deep cuts all over her and she started to taste her own blood._

_A bright flash of lightning cracked over head immediately followed by booming thunder. The Weevils backed away quickly, looking up at the sky. They started to retreat as the storm grew and Gwen lay, breathing heavily as she shook with tears._

_She rolled herself onto her front and gritted her teeth as she started to crawl again. She moved a few feet before collapsing into the bushes, the pain too much to bear and all her strength gone._

_The freezing rain continued to pour down on her as her eyes slid shut._

"You remember." Rhys said as she gripped his hand.

"Yes." She nodded, staring wide-eyed at Owen.

Owen watched Rhys wrap his arms around her and kiss the top of her head. He wished he was the one holding her in his arms. He wished he could be the one whispering in her ear that everything was going to be alright. He was the one that knew the truth. Rhys had no idea what to say to truly comfort her, but Owen did.

He couldn't watch them any more.

"I'll let the others know you're awake." He mumbled and walked out of the room. Gwen's eyes lingered on the doorway before she looked back up at Rhys. Owen dialled Jack's number as he sat on the little wall outside the hospital. The phone was answered after the second ring. "Jack, it's Gwen. She's -"

"Oh God, what's happened?" Jack demanded.

"Nothing, she's fine. Actually, she's just woken up." Owen told him.

"Oh that's fantastic." Jack shouted excitedly down the phone. "We're on our way over."

"Ok." Owen said and put the phone down. He sighed before heading back to Gwen's room. He prayed he wasn't going to walk in on anything private but Rhys wasn't in the room when he got there. "Where's..?"

"Toilet." Gwen answered.

"Right. Well, I just came to tell you that Jack and the others are on their way to see you. I...I think I'll go now." He said quietly. "You don't want too many people crowding you when you've just woken up."

"Owen...thank you. Rhys told me you were the one that found me." She said.

"Don't." He sighed. "Everyone's thanked me for getting you here but the truth is, if I hadn't have made you walk back on your own, this would never have happened. This is all my fault."

"I'm alive because of you. You found me and brought me here." She argued.

"Yeah but I almost didn't. Everyone wanted to go look for you but I thought you were just sulking because of our fight. I wasn't going to go and I wouldn't have if Jack hadn't have forced me." He explained. A hurt expression washed over her face causing him to feel extremely guilty. "Sorry, I've got to go."

Gwen didn't protest as he walked out of the room.

Owen almost kicked himself. Why did he have to tell her that? They were finally talking without screaming at each other and he had to go and ruin it.

For the next couple of days, Owen only visited Gwen when the rest of the team went too. It was too awkward to be alone with her again.

When they sat around her, she ignored him like she did after their first fight. He sat quietly by her bed, letting the others carry the conversation.

On Gwen's last day, the team and Rhys were sitting around her as usual. Rhys suddenly looked at them all before smiling and getting down on one knee. Tosh gasped as he pulled out a ring and took Gwen's hand in his. Jack and Ianto grinned while Owen watched sadly.

"Gwen, I wasn't planning on asking just yet but...after all this, it made me think. I don't want to lose you. I love you so much. Gwen Cooper, will you marry me?" He asked.

Gwen stared at him wide-eyed. She looked around at the others. Her eyes locked with Owen's for a few seconds before she clenched her jaw and turned back to Rhys.

"I will." She nodded.

Rhys slipped the ring on her finger and got up to hug her tight. She looked back at Owen over Rhys's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her fiancé. When he pulled back she smiled at him but Owen noticed it wasn't right. He'd seen Gwen's smile and this wasn't it. It didn't reach her eyes.

"I love you." Rhys smiled.

"I love you too." She replied.

Even the words sounded false to him. Owen had seen enough and got up quickly.

Jack frowned slightly as he watched him leave the room.

He was sat in the reception area when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see his Captain looking down at him.

"So, Gwen's going home tomorrow. That's excellent." Owen said.

"Yeah it is." Jack nodded as he sat next to Owen. "Rhys wants her to stay home for a week before she comes back to work. I have to agree."

"Yeah, it's probably a good idea." He replied.

"I can't believe she's engaged." Jack said, watching Owen's reaction closely.

"I know." Owen mumbled as he stared down at his hands clasped on the table. He looked up and saw Jack watching him. "I mean, it's great. Couldn't be happier for her."

"Owen, are you..." Jack shook his head before he finished his sentence. "I think it's time we left. We've intruded on the happy moment long enough. I'll go get the others."

"I'll wait in the SUV." Owen told him.

Jack nodded and clapped Owen on the shoulder before heading back to Gwen's room. The younger man closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

A week and two days later, Gwen was sat at her workstation looking through a wedding magazine. Her wounds had heeled nicely, just leaving faint pink lines where the deeper cuts had been but they'd fade soon like the others. Her arm and leg were now out of their casts, thankfully. That would not have looked good under a wedding dress.

Jack had taken Tosh and Ianto out to investigate further the woman Gwen and Owen had interrogated previously.

The Hub door rolled open and Owen walked in. He looked around for the others and frowned.

"They've gone out." Gwen told him.

"Watching me were you?" He smirked.

"No. Just answering the question I knew you'd ask so we could end the conversation quickly. Which puts an end to this one." She told him, her eyes never leaving the magazine.

Owen grabbed it from her hands and threw it to the side. She glared at him and went to get it. He stopped her by grabbing her wrist. Wrenching her wrist from his grip, she folded her arms and waited for the comment sure to come.

"Why are you marrying Rhys?" He asked.

"Because I love him." She answered.

"No, what I saw at the hospital, that wasn't love." He said. She laughed bitterly and shook her head at him. "No, tell me the real reason you're doing this."

"I love him." She repeated through gritted teeth.

"Cut the crap Gwen. Tell me the truth." He insisted.

"Alright." She shouted. "You want the truth, I'll tell you. I'm marrying him because I need some normality in my life. I need someone I can go home to and forget about all this stuff, just pretend that for one moment that my life is normal...and because...no one else seems to want me."

"I do." Owen whispered.

"Whatever Owen." Gwen sighed.

"No, I do. I'm going to say this before I get interrupted again. I love you Gwen." He told her.

"No you don't. You weren't even bothered that I was missing." She argued.

"I was being stupid. When we went looking for you, I started to get worried. It wasn't like you to just disappear. I was scared Gwen – terrified. When I found you...you have to know how guilty I felt." He explained.

"Why should you feel guilty? You called things off between us remember, and ever since you've been waiting for me to come crawling back but I didn't. Now I'm engaged and you know you've lost, you just can't take it. You just can't accept that a woman chose someone else over you. _That's_ not love Owen." She said.

"Fine, marry Rhys, see if I care. But every time you look at me, every time you look at him, you'll regret that decision. I do love you Gwen and I know you feel the same way but I'm not going to sit around forever for you to figure that out. So go ahead, marry him." He told her and started to walk away. He took a few steps before turning back. "Oh, and just so you know, it's never off between us."

Gwen gasped as she watched him disappear into the autopsy bay.

Neither one of them said a word to the other for the rest of the day or even acknowledged each other's existence.

When Jack and the others returned, they immediately knew something had happened. The tension in the Hub was almost unbearable.

Owen started to feel the urge to shoot something and was grateful when Jack gave him the opportunity.

"Sightings of two teenage Blowfish running around the city centre." Jack announced.

"I'll go." Owen called quickly.

"Ok. Tosh, go with him." Jack said.

Tosh grabbed her jacket and followed Owen out to the SUV.

He groaned inwardly as she started chatting away about the one thing he wished he could forget.

"I can't believe Gwen's getting married. It just goes to show you that you can find happiness and love outside of this job. She asked me to be maid of honour but I'm not sure. I don't think I can handle that amount of responsibility. What do you think?" She asked.

"You'll be great." He answered. "Where did Jack say these aliens were?"

"I'm getting the co-ordinates through now." She told him as she consulted her PDA. "Looks like they're hanging around the shopping centre. The police have evacuated the whole building believing them to be terrorists."

They abandoned the SUV near the entrance and jumped out, guns at the ready.

"You take the bottom floor and work your way up, I'll go to the top and work down." Owen instructed. "They can't have gone far."

Tosh nodded and they went their separate ways.

The silence of what should have been a busy shopping centre was chilling.

Owen walked slowly around the shops on the top floor but there was no sign of the Blowfish. Quick footsteps sounded behind him and he spotted a shadow running into a toy shop. He followed it in, his gun aimed in front of him. He weaved slowly in and out of the shelves, keeping his back pressed up against them so there was no chance of attack from behind. Something clattered to the ground near the till area. Silently making his way towards it, he peered around the shelves. The Blowfish was crouched behind the till, trying to hide. Owen rolled his eyes. These young aliens could be so stupid.

"Come on, out." Owen shouted. "I know you're there and I'm armed. Just give yourself up." The Blowfish remained still as Owen neared. "Look, stop messing around. I can see you so just -"

He was a few feet away when it bounded to it's feet and grabbed the till from the counter.

"Can you catch?" It snarled before throwing it at him.

Owen dodged out of the way and gasped as it hit the shelf just a few inches from his head. Straightening himself up, he saw the Blowfish bolt over the counter and out of the shop. He ran after it as it sped down the escalators down to the bottom floor.

Halfway down, Owen gripped the side and took a chance as he threw himself over. Luckily, he landed on his feet.

The Blowfish looked over his shoulder, startled as Owen started to gain on him. Not focusing on where it was going, it bumped into the low wall around the fountain in the middle.

Owen grabbed the back of his shirt and pushed his head under the water. The Blowfish stood still until Owen pulled him out again and turned him around. Owen frowned when it didn't seem to be affected.

"Why -"

"I'm a fish." It pointed out. "Idiot."

It brought it's hand back and punched Owen square in his jaw. He stumbled back, clutching his jaw and letting go of his catch. It laughed and sped off again as Owen tried to stop the world spinning around him.

He regained his footing and ran after the Blowfish. Shots echoed around the shopping centre as he fired bullets towards the escaping prisoner. One of the bullets hit home as it penetrated the Blowfish's leg. It fell to the floor, shouting and cursing in pain. He caught up to it and punched it twice as hard in it's face, revenge for the blow he'd received.

"Told you I was armed." Owen panted. "Should've given yourself up when you had the chance."

"Never." The Blowfish screamed in rage.

Owen grabbed a pair of Weevil clamps from his pocket and snapped them onto it's wrists. He dragged it out to the SUV and shoved it into the back. He tore a strip from it's jacket and tied it tight around it's wounded leg.

"This'll help the bleeding for now. I'll deal with you later, but don't expect me to be gentle." Owen hissed before slamming the door shut and locking the car.

The Blowfish launched itself at the door, shouting insults at Owen. Owen rolled his eyes and turned away. He headed back into the shopping centre to help Tosh with the other Blowfish.

It wasn't necessary however, as she came out gripping it's arm tight with the clamps restricting it's movements. Owen noticed it was snivelling and cowering slightly.

"Found it hiding in the back of one of the restaurants. Surrendered almost immediately." Tosh told him.

"This one's not as gutsy as the other one then. Took a bullet to get that one down." Owen replied as he and Tosh headed back to the SUV.

With both aliens in the back, they drove back to the Hub.

The tension in Owen's shoulders seemed to have disappeared slightly after taking out some of his aggression on the Blowfish. For one moment he'd forgotten all about Gwen and the wedding but as soon as the adrenaline rush had run it's course, it all came flooding back.

He started to dread going back and seeing her talk wedding plans with the others. Was he the only one that could see her heart wasn't truly in it?

As the weeks went on and the days until the wedding drew closer, the tension between Gwen and Owen had intensified. They still hadn't said a word to each other but if they walked past each other, the tiniest bit of skin brushing, they felt a jolt of electricity flow through them.

Owen knew she'd been thinking about what he'd said. He'd sometimes catch her staring at him, sometimes glaring and others with a sad longing.

It was the night before Gwen's big day and the team were just finishing off. Tosh and Gwen would be heading to hers in a few moments to get ready for her hen night.

Jack rounded off his end of day briefing and led the team out of the boardroom.

"Gwen, can I talk to you?" Owen asked as he held back.

She sighed before turning and walking back into the room and folding her arms.

"Owen, if you're going to try and talk me out of this again, save it. It's not going to work." She told him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to." He said. He caught the look of disappointment that flashed across her face before she regained composure. "I realise I haven't said congratulations yet. I admit I'm not happy about this but...I want you to be. So...congratulations and good luck for the future."

Before she could protest, he pulled her into a tight hug against his chest. He buried his face in her hair as he felt her hug him back. Gwen's eyes slid shut and she bit her lip, fighting the tears threatening to fall. They pulled away and stared into each other's eyes. The gap between them started to close. Their lips brushed just as she came to her senses.

"I should be going." She whispered hesitantly against his lips.

Just as he was about to close the rest of the gap, she whipped around and almost ran out of the room.

"Gwen, wait." He called. She paused on her way but didn't turn around. Her head turned slightly to the side to watch him from the corner of her eyes. "If things get a little boring tonight, my door's always open."

She turned back towards him and glared. She stormed over to him and slapped him across his face before storming away.

He growled as he realised he'd done it again. He'd spoiled the moment when things seemed to be finally getting better between them.

Gwen sat with her friends in the busy pub. The loud base line pumping through and the sound of people chatting and laughing loudly would usually have given her a headache but her thoughts drowned it all out.

She stared into space, thinking of Owen. His lips had been so close and if he'd have kissed her...she had no idea what would have happened. Of course, he had totally ruined the moment like always. But the reason she was angry this time wasn't because of him, it was because of her. She'd wanted to kiss him, wanted to tell him she felt the same and worst of all, she wanted to take him up on his offer. She was angry at herself for feeling those things, especially on the night before her wedding.

He couldn't truly love her could he? If he did, surely he'd be fighting for her right now and he never would've treated her like he had been if he cared about her.

She couldn't let go of Rhys anyway. It was for selfish reasons she knew, but she couldn't let her last shred of normality slip through her fingers. She was scared that if she did she'd lose what it meant to be human like the others had before she'd reminded them. Most of all, she didn't want her job to rule her life.

"Gwen?" A voice asked. She was snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to find everyone staring at her. She smiled apologetically at Megan. "I said I'm off to the bar for another round. Do you want another drink?"

"Oh, yes please." She nodded. "Make it a strong one."

"Aaw bless, she's got pre-wedding nerves." Trina smiled.

Gwen shot her a fake smile and nodded.

"Yeah..." She mumbled.

As the night drew to a close, she'd downed quite a few glasses of alcohol. Not enough to get her completely pissed but just enough to send her light headed.

She was humming along to a song absent-mindedly and didn't realise what it was until it was almost finished.

"'Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you  
>Thinking of you, what you would do<br>If you were the one who was spending the night  
>Oh, I wish that I was looking into your, your eyes<br>Looking into your eyes, looking into your eyes  
>Oh, won't you walk through?<br>And bust in the door and take me away?  
>Oh, no more mistakes<br>'Cause in your eyes I'd like to stay, stay."

"Bit of a strange song to be playing in a club." Toshiko commented as she reached for her jacket.

Gwen sat listening to the song until it finished. The lyrics seemed to reach her heart and she couldn't help it as the tears started to build up in her eyes.

She had to see him alone, just once before the wedding. Maybe if she just spent one more night with him, she could let all her feelings out then push them to the side.

No, she couldn't do that, she couldn't cheat on Rhys now. She'd be hurting Owen too if she just used him like that and that was something she really didn't want to do. Plus she knew she'd just want more and she couldn't let that happen again.

No, she had to end things with him once and for all and move on with her life.

"Tosh, I just need to go do something. I'll meet you back at my place." She told the other woman.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Tosh asked.

"No, no I'll be fine. I'm not sure what time I'll be back so don't wait up." Gwen answered.

Before Toshiko could ask any more questions, she walked out of the club and trailed the familiar path to Owen's apartment.

Owen rolled the glass of brandy around in his hands and sighed. Tomorrow at noon he'd be losing the woman he loved. Why did this always happen to him? Katie, Diane and now Gwen.

The worst thing about it was he knew she loved him back, he'd seen it in her eyes when he'd hugged her. Yet she was choosing to spend the rest of her life with a man she didn't even love when she could be happy with him.

He groaned as someone knocked on the door. He placed his glass down heavily on the table and went to answer it.

"Gwen." He said in surprise as the door opened. "Hen party too boring for you?" She breezed past him into the apartment as he closed the door. He turned to see her with her back to him, her shoulders hunched slightly. "Had a feeling you'd show up."

"Owen, I'm not here for that." She snapped, turning to face him. "I'm here to end it, once and for all. It's over between us."

Owen stepped up to stand inches from her. He brought a hand up to stroke her cheek. He saw the waver in her expression as she looked down at his hand. Her eyes snapped back up to his and she stood her ground.

"Gwen, you know that's not true." He whispered.

She took a step back and kept her face set in a determined expression.

"Yes, it is." She said.

"If it's over, why are you so scared to be alone with me?" He took another step forward and wrapped his arm around her waist. She gasped at the contact and her eyes slid shut of their own accord. "See, I know you feel something."

She opened her eyes and willed herself to pull away but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Owen closed the gap between them and covered her lips with his. Tears fell freely down her face as she responded and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she pressed herself into him. Gwen squeezed her eyes shut as they rested their foreheads together.

"I shouldn't be doing this." She whispered.

Owen noticed how she said 'shouldn't', implying it wasn't going to end there. He moved a hand up to cup her face and let it slide down her neck to her shoulder. Her breath hitched and he froze, waiting for any signs of her wanting to stop.

As if reading his thoughts, Gwen looked right into his eyes and slid her hands to the front of his shirt. She hesitated before undoing the first few buttons slowly. His grip on her tightened as he led her into his room. He pulled her face up into a sweet, tender kiss. She continued to cry silently as she was lowered onto the bed.

They lay a few hours later, wrapped in each other's arms. Owen closed his eyes and lost himself in the feel of her holding him just as tight as he was her. Her soft breathing filling his body with warmth. He could feel her heart pounding against his own chest.

The way she'd clung to him, desperate and needy and the tears that cascaded down her cheeks scared him. It was like she was telling him that this would be their last time together. It couldn't be the end, she wouldn't have come to him tonight if it was.

He traced his finger down her arm and she turned to look up at him.

"Gwen, don't go through with this." He begged. She started to look away but he held her face and forced her to look at him. "Please. I -"

"Don't." She said, covering his lips with her hand. "Don't. I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have let this happen."

She pulled away from him and out of the bed. He watched as she grabbed her clothes and quickly dressed.

As she went to leave the flat, he ran after her and caught her elbow.

"Fine, go, but tell me you don't love me first." He said. "I'll let you go and I'll never bring this up again if you look me right in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me." She looked into his eyes and felt a deep, shuddering breath leave her lips. She shook her head and tried to pull away. "Please, do it."

"I can't." She whispered. "I can't tell you I don't..."

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because I'd be lying." She answered and left the flat quickly.

Owen stared in shock at the spot where she'd stood. Even if she'd said nothing and left, he could have pretended that she didn't love him and it wouldn't hurt so much. But after she'd basically told him she did love him, without using those exact words, he couldn't pretend.

The pain in his chest was unbearable as he slipped back into bed. Her scent hung in the air and clung to the sheets around him. His breath shook as tears of his own poured down his face.

Gwen tried to quieten her sobs as she let herself into her flat. Toshiko was sleeping on the sofa and she didn't want to wake her. She fell into bed, kicking off her shoes but not bothering to change as she breathed in the lingering scent of Owen's flat.

All the reasons she'd given herself as to why she was marrying Rhys disappeared. Why was she marrying him? Why wasn't she going to let herself be happy with Owen? So many questions swam through her mind as she fell into an uneasy sleep.

When she woke up, she heard Tosh moving around in the living room. She got up and wandered into the bathroom. As she looked into the mirror, she saw her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks red and puffy. She splashed her face with cold water and braved venturing out to Tosh.

Toshiko had her back to her when she entered. She was setting about making them both a cup of tea but she'd heard Gwen come in.

"I didn't wake you did I?" Tosh asked. "I always get up early, an old habit I never really got out of." Tosh finally turned to face her. Her smile dropped as she spotted Gwen. "Gwen, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." Gwen answered. Tosh's eyes dropped to Gwen's clothes and she frowned. "The...erm...the thing I had to do last night took longer than I thought. I was too tired to get changed so I just slept in these. Which probably explains why I'm not looking so good – lack of sleep."

She knew Toshiko didn't buy her lie but she didn't press her on it. Tosh shrugged and turned back to making the teas.

"You've run out of tea bags, do you have any more?" She called.

"Yeah, there should be some in the cupboard. I'll get them." Gwen answered.

Gwen walked over to the cupboard by Toshiko and pulled out the box of tea bags. Tosh frowned and narrowed her eyes as she looked at Gwen.

"Have you been to Owen's?" Tosh asked suspiciously.

"No – no – why would I go there?" Gwen laughed nervously.

Tosh's eyes dropped to Gwen's feet then back up.

"You've got one of his socks on." She told her. Gwen quickly looked down to check and frowned when she saw her own matching pair. She froze and looked slowly back up at Tosh, whose arms were now folded across her chest. "You did go to Owen's."

Gwen closed her eyes and sighed as she leant on both her hands on the worktop.

"I just...needed to see him." She mumbled.

"Why?" Tosh frowned.

"I just did." Gwen answered.

"You slept with him." Tosh stated.

She tried to think of ways to deny it but she knew Tosh wouldn't believe her. Her shoulders slumped as she lowered her head.

"Yes." She whispered.

"Gwen." Tosh groaned. "Why did you do it? On the night before your wedding too."

"I know, I know." Gwen sighed. "It was a mistake and I shouldn't have let it happen. But I didn't go to see him to end up sleeping with him, I went to put a stop to whatever it was going on between us in the first place. It just...happened."

"So what are you going to do?" Tosh asked.

"What do you mean?" Gwen frowned.

"About the wedding. Are you still going to marry Rhys?" She asked.

"Yes, of course I am." Gwen nodded. "We're going to carry on as if it never happened."

"If that's what you want." Tosh shrugged.

"It is." Gwen lied.

They got ready in silence, Gwen trying to forget last night and Tosh watching her closely, waiting for her to call it all off.

Gwen's parents arrived shortly followed by the bridesmaids. The small flat felt crowded, even with just a handful of people inside.

Gwen's heart started to pound as the cars arrived to take them to the venue. Tosh held her back as she went to get in the car.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to." Tosh told her.

"Yes I do." Gwen replied and climbed in. When they arrived, all the guests were seated and ready for the wedding to start. She peeked in and spotted Rhys standing at the front, beaming as he waited for her to walk down the aisle. Jack and Ianto were sitting near the front with an empty space on the other side of Jack. "Owen's not here." She whispered.

"I could try calling him if you want." Tosh suggested. Gwen nodded and watched as Toshiko grabbed her phone and dialled Owen's number. "Owen, where are you?" There was a pause in the conversation. "Are you sure you...ok, I'll tell her...see you soon." Tosh put her phone back in her bag and gave Gwen a sad smile. "He's not coming. He said he's sorry."

"Ok." Gwen nodded as she looked down at the floor.

"Gwen, are you ready?" Her father asked.

She took a deep breath and smiled at him. Looping her arm through his, she nodded and turned to look straight ahead.

"Actually, I just need to check everything's ready for later." Tosh said quickly.

"But you did that before we left." Gwen reminded her.

"Yes but I didn't check _everything_. I'll just go and make a few calls, I'll be back in five minutes." She said and left the room quickly.

She was hiding something, Gwen knew she was. She and her father looked at each other and shrugged.

"Do you know what she's talking about?" Gwen asked.

"No idea. As far as I know, everything was ready before we left." He answered.

Tosh returned just over fifteen minutes later.

"Sorry it took longer than I thought. Something hadn't arrived but it will do, on time hopefully." Tosh explained.

"Ok...are we ready to go now?" Gwen asked.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Good." Gwen replied and turned back to her father. "Let's go."

Tosh took the arm of one of Rhys' friends and started walking down the aisle. Gwen watched her suspiciously before following her.

Her eyes stung as she looked at the empty space where Owen should have been sat. Those watching her would've have assumed that the tears in her eyes were borne of happiness, but they were far from the truth.

She smiled as she took Rhys' hands in hers as they turned to face each other.

"You look beautiful." He whispered.

Gwen failed to hear anything the minister was saying as she thought about the man in front of her and the man that should be sitting behind her. She saw herself standing as she was but instead of holding Rhys' hands, she was with Owen. She'd turn around and smile at Rhys, sitting in the front row and smiling back at her, supporting her as a friend. A true smile spread across her face for the first time in weeks.

Reality came crashing down on her when she heard those words most couples dreaded at their wedding.

"If any man knows of any reason why these two may not lawfully be joined together, let him speak now, or forever hold his peace." The minister announced.

Gwen couldn't help but glance around the room. She saw Toshiko glance towards the doors and sigh.

Looking back at Rhys, she realised she couldn't go through with this. If she did, she'd be lying to him and she didn't want him to get hurt. He had so much love to give, he should find someone that could return it.

She was about to say something when the doors burst open. Gwen gasped as Owen stood in the doorway, staring straight at her. His eyes were red and his hair sticking up at odd angles as if he'd been running his hands through it.

"I've got a reason." Owen said and walked across the room to her. She pulled her hands out of Rhys' and turned to face Owen. The room was filled with gasps as he grabbed her hands in his. "Gwen, please don't do this. I love you. I'll do anything, just say you love me and tell me you want to be with me."

"Gwen, what's going on?" Rhys demanded.

She looked between both men before dropping Owen's hands.

"We need to talk." She said. "All of us."

She walked out of the room, Rhys and Owen following.

Once stood outside in reception, Gwen closed the door behind them.

"What the hell's going on and what's he got to do with it?" Rhys shouted.

"Rhys...I can't do this, I can't do this to you. I want you to know that I loved you so much and maybe...if I hadn't got this new job, we'd be able to make this work. But things have changed, _we've_ changed. I'm so sorry Rhys, but I'm in love with someone else." Gwen told him through the tears she finally let fall.

Rhys looked between Gwen and Owen. Owen was staring at Gwen in shock.

"Him?" Rhys asked.

"Yes." Gwen nodded. "I'm really sorry, you have to believe me. I never meant to hurt you and I didn't plan for this to happen. Please say you can forgive me."

"I knew there was something wrong." He said quietly.

"What?" She frowned.

"Well, every time we spoke about the wedding, it was like you'd disappeared and this robot Gwen would take over. I knew you weren't in it. I'm surprised you actually made it to this stage before giving up." He told her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "Are you angry?"

"No, just upset you didn't come to me before." He answered. He glanced at Owen. "And at least you told me about him before anything happened." Owen shifted uncomfortably in the background and Gwen couldn't meet his eye. "Gwen, tell me nothing's happened between you."

She stayed silent, looking anywhere but at him. He stormed out and she started to run after him.

"Rhys, please." She sobbed. "I'm sorry. Please, come back."

She stopped and watched his back as he continued to walk away. She slumped against the wall and slid down until she was sat on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest. As she sobbed into her hands, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and she leant into them.

"It's alright." Owen whispered.

"No, it's not." She cried. "I should never have cheated on him. I should never have started anything with you. He was ok until he found out something happened. He's gone and he'll never forgive me and now I've lost the only person that loved me, _truly_ loved me."

"That's not true. I love you." Owen told her. "And Rhys will forgive you. He just needs time to think it through and he'll realise he just wants you to be happy."

"Would you forgive me if I had sex with someone else?" She asked.

"Well...we're not in the same situation." Owen said.

"But if we were. If I was with you and I had sex with another man, would you be able to forgive me?" She asked again.

"If you told me you were in love with him and you wanted to be with him then...eventually, I'd be able to forgive you. I'd want you to be happy and if Rhys is a decent man, he would too." Owen explained.

"Rhys is one of the most decent men I know." She defended.

"I know, I wasn't saying he isn't." He said quickly.

She pulled herself out of his grasp and stood up.

"I betrayed him and it's all your fault." She shouted. "You just wouldn't take no for an answer and you weren't happy until you got me into bed."

"It wasn't like that. Well – it was – but only that first time I swear." He argued as he pulled himself up. "After that, I realised I was in love with you but I was scared. I tried to hide my feelings but -"

"You've just wanted me for yourself this whole time. You told me you loved me and I started to feel the same way. I love you Owen Harper but it's all been a lie. Now if you'll excuse me I have to tell my family and friends that the wedding is off." She said. She walked briskly into the room and all the guests turned to watch her as she made her way to the front. "I'm sorry everyone but there'll be no wedding today. Rhys and I...I'm sorry."

She began to sob again as she ran out of the room and out of the building.

Owen tried to stop her but she ignored him and carried on running. Toshiko walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Why did you insist on me coming here?" Owen asked. "All it's done is hurt her and pushed her away for good."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know this would happen. She really wanted you to be here, she was so disappointed when she saw you weren't there." Tosh told him. "I thought it was what she would have wanted."

"I should've stayed away." Owen mumbled and stormed into the gardens.

The wedding party slowly filtered out and went back home but Owen stayed. He sat in the gardens looking out at the stunning scenery.

The sun had started to set but he still wasn't ready to leave yet. He wasn't ready to go home and face the fact that he'd just caused the woman he loved, who had told him she loved him back, to now hate him.

Soft footsteps sounded behind him and he turned thinking it would be one of the members of staff come to kick him out because it was getting late. His breath hitched as he saw who was stood a few metres away.

"Tosh said you hadn't left yet." Gwen said.

She'd changed from her wedding dress into plain blue jeans and a blue t-shirt to match. Her make-up had been scrubbed off but her hair was still held up in it's bun. The warm orange glow of the setting sun softened her features and made her look more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. There was also a sad and vulnerable look about her.

"I'm really sorry Gwen." He whispered. "You're right, it's all my fault. Again."

She walked over to him, shaking her head. Placing her hand over his lips and the other on his cheek, she looked into his eyes.

"No, it's not." She said. "I was the one in a relationship, I was the one who should've said no in the first place but I didn't. I want you to know that I don't blame you for what happened. None of this was your fault ok?" She ran her thumb across his cheek and watched him close his eyes and lean into it. "I shouldn't have shouted at you like that, I was just upset. I'm so sorry. I love you."

She moved her hand from his lips to move it to his other cheek as she replaced it with her lips. His arms made their way around her waist as they shared a sweet and gentle, yet passionate kiss. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes as he revelled in the sound of her soft shaking breaths, her sweet feminine scent, the feel of her warm, soft body in his arms.

"I love you too." He whispered. "When Tosh called, did you know she was going to ask me to come?"

"No. She offered to call you and ask if you were coming and I said yes. I wanted to know why you weren't there. I didn't know about the second call." She answered.

"I just couldn't sit there and watch you promise to spend the rest of your life with someone you didn't love. It hurt too much. You said you loved me but you don't want to be with me." He told her.

"Owen I...I want to be with you, I really do. It's just, I can't step out of one relationship and into another. I need time. Just give me some time and I promise we can be together." She told him. "For now, let's just be friends. Can you do that for me?"

"I can, I understand. Take as long as you need. I'll be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes." He breathed.

"I thought you said you weren't going to wait forever." She smirked.

"I was lying." He replied. "For you, I'll wait. I'd do anything for you." They shared one last kiss before leaving as friends. "For now." Owen added in his mind.

As they walked towards the car park, Owen sighed and rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked.

"Well...in my rush to get here, I sort of left my car keys at home. I sort of ran half of the way but I realised I'd never get here on time if I ran so I called a cab. I threw all the money I had at him when I got out. So now I have no money and no way of getting home." He explained in embarrassment.

"Come on, I'll give you a lift." She smiled.

Owen had never been inside Gwen's car before. If they ever went by car together, it was always in the SUV or his car.

He climbed into the passengers seat and was immediately hit by Gwen's scent. The scent in here was stronger than he'd experienced from her own skin and he sat back, breathing it all in.

There was no other scent mixed in making him wonder how often Rhys sat in here.

"Gwen, do you mind me asking you a question? A personal question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to." He said.

She started the engine and pulled away.

"Sure, go ahead." She nodded.

"How often did you and Rhys just take a drive together? You know, just got in the car and drove out to the middle of nowhere and back?" He asked.

She was silent as she stared out the windscreen. He noticed her grip flex on the steering wheel and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes before looking back out the window.

"We...we actually haven't done anything like that since we first started seeing each other. We used to go out all the time. Then we moved in together and we both got jobs and we just...didn't see each other that often. Of course we saw each other more than we did before I joined Torchwood but...it still wasn't enough." She explained. "Rhys preferred to drive himself anyway. He said it was embarrassing to be seen being driven around by his girlfriend all the time. Typical man he was when it came to cars."

"I don't know why. It's not so bad letting a woman drive once in a while – until they adjust the seat so you end up with the steering wheel in the most uncomfortable place. Other than that, it's fine. Gives a guy chance to check out the woman while she's concentrating on the road." Owen grinned.

Gwen rolled her eyes at him but let out a giggle as she turned her attention back to the road.

He smiled as she kept glancing at him self-consciously after his comment.

"Well, here we go." She said as she pulled up outside his flat.

"Thanks." He smiled.

"Do you realise we've been alone together longer than five minutes without it ending in tears or one of us storming out?" She laughed.

He chuckled and reached over to place his hand over hers. Silence fell as they gazed into each other's eyes. He leant across and placed a kiss on her lips. She sighed into it and brought her hand to rest on his chest. He locked his fingers into her hair and deepened the kiss but she pulled away and looked down at the seat.

"Sorry, too much too soon." He said.

She nodded slightly and smiled sadly.

"I just need time. Maybe we shouldn't...for now anyway." She told him.

"Yeah." He agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Gwen smiled as he climbed out of the car.

She waited until he'd disappeared inside before driving away.

When she got home, she found a short message from Rhys on the answer phone explaining that he was spending the night at his parents and would be back tomorrow to pick up his things. She felt like ringing him back and telling him she should be the one to move out. She was the one that betrayed him. She didn't have anywhere to go though. Her parents lived in Swansea and it would just be a pain to travel to and from the Hub every day. Megan and Trina were good friends but they had different blokes back almost every night and it would just get awkward. She couldn't ask Tosh or Ianto to let her stay with either of them, it just seemed wrong. There was no way she was staying at the Hub with the pterodactyl screeching away all night and Jack prowling around. It just left Owen but she didn't want to move too fast with him and ruin their relationship so early on.

Over the next couple of weeks, Owen was very careful of how he acted around Gwen. He gave her hugs when he thought she needed them and only if she gave him permission. He tried not to let any situation where they were alone together get uncomfortable.

She was grateful and tried to show it when she smiled at him and hugged him back.

One night, Owen was just preparing to get ready for bed, thinking of Gwen as usual. He'd pulled on a pair of comfortable tracksuit bottoms and decided not to wear a t-shirt.

He was just putting his empty coffee cup in the sink when his phone started to ring. He groaned, thinking it was Jack calling him for another rift emergency. He grinned when he saw it was actually Gwen.

"Hey Gwen." He answered.

"Hi Owen. Listen, is it ok to come over?" She asked.

"Of course you can. You don't have to ask you know." He told her.

"Good...because I'm outside." She said. Owen ran to the door and opened it. Gwen smiled at him from the other side. "Hey."

"I'll call you back." He said into the phone and put it down. Gwen giggled as he let her in and closed the door. "So what brings you here at this time of night?"

She walked up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I was wondering if you still...whether it's too late or not for me to tell you that...I'm ready now. I love you and I'm ready to be with you, if you still want that." She told him.

"Gwen, I said I'd wait. Of course I want to be with you, I love you so much." He replied.

She grinned and pulled his face down to hers, kissing him passionately. Owen hugged her tight to his chest and ran a hand through her hair. Her own hands trailed down his bare chest to his stomach. She felt the muscles ripple under her touch. Owen's grip on her tightened as he trailed his tongue over her lips. Her lips parted allowing his tongue to tangle with hers as he backed her up against the wall. She moaned and dug her nails into his hips. He growled at the painful, yet pleasurable sensation.

"Owen." She whispered. His lips moved to her neck and he scraped his teeth along her skin. Her eyes slid shut as her heart started to hammer against her chest. Her mind clouded over as his hands burned the skin under her shirt. She was brought back by the feel of a light switch digging into her back. "Owen, stop."

He pulled away and frowned slightly as he looked at her.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Can we move this somewhere more comfortable?" She smirked.

Owen laughed in relief as he pulled her towards his bed. She pushed him down onto it and straddled his waist. His hands curled into the front of her jacket as he used it to pull her down into another kiss. He groaned as she rocked her hips against his causing friction between them. He moved his hands to her thighs and squeezed them tight enough to leave marks.

"You are wearing far too many clothes." He breathed against her lips.

Her breath hitched as his fingers unhooked the button on her jeans.

The next thing she knew, she was on her back with Owen hovering above her. Somewhere along the line, they'd both lost their clothes. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer.

Later, Gwen lay on her side with Owen's chest pressed against her back. He had one arm around her, his hand resting on her stomach with her hand over his, their fingers linked. Owen placed lazy kisses along her neck and shoulders as her eyes closed and she smiled dreamily.

After a few moments of silence, she began to get sleepy.

"God, I'm tired." She yawned.

"You did get here quite late and you did insist on getting me into bed." He told her. "Funny that, you always thought it was the other way around."

"It was." She laughed, turning her head to look at him. He raised an eyebrow and stared at her. "Ok, not all the time – but it was mostly you." Owen leant in to kiss her gently on the lips causing her to sigh dreamily. When he pulled away, she smiled and tightened her grip on his hand. "We should get some sleep."

"Yeah." He sighed.

"Goodnight. I love you." She said.

"I love you too." He replied. "I would say don't let the bed bugs bite but it's not them you've got to worry about. It's me."

Gwen squealed as he nibbled her earlobe and neck.

"Stop it." She giggled. "Go to sleep."

"Sorry, couldn't resist." He grinned. "I'll behave now I promise."

Owen placed one last kiss on the back of her neck before placing his other arm around her and closing his eyes. Gwen's own eyes slid shut as the warmth of Owen's body and his gentle breathing on her neck lulled her to sleep.

The next morning, Owen rolled over and felt the bed for Gwen. He opened his eyes when he found nothing but cool sheets and air. He groaned thinking it was another one of his dreams. Rubbing his face with his hands, he sat up and sighed.

Soft footsteps padded into the room and he looked up quickly. Gwen stood at the end of his bed, wearing one of his shirts as she smiled down at him, a cup of tea in each hand.

"Morning." She said. "Sleep well?"

"Best night ever, even better now I know it wasn't a dream." He told her. She laughed as she sat down next to him and handed him his tea. "How about you?"

"It was wonderful." She smiled.

"Only one thing wrong with it." He sighed.

"What?" She asked.

"I wanted to wake up with you in my arms. I'd watch you sleep for a few minutes before I gave in to the temptation of capturing those soft lips of yours into a kiss. You'd wake up and wrap your arms around my neck and kiss me back." He explained.

"You're so cute." She grinned. "I'll remember that next time."

"And when will that be?" He asked.

"Tonight, how about you come to mine?" She suggested.

"I'd love to." He said.

Weeks later, Jack sent Toshiko and Owen to investigate some unusual rift surges in some abandoned warehouses.

As they entered one warehouse, they held their torches in front of them. Toshiko looked down at her scanner.

"The readings are stronger in here." She told Owen.

Owen held his hand up to her and froze.

"Did you see that?" He whispered.

"I didn't see anything. What was it?" She asked.

"It was a flash of light and I saw this shadow..." He answered. "Look, there it is again."

Tosh frowned as she looked towards where Owen was pointing.

"Owen I don't see anything." She shrugged.

"I swear there's something there." He told her. "Look, wait here. I'll go ahead."

Toshiko was about to protest but he'd already started moving swiftly towards the back of the warehouse. She saw him pull out his gun as he disappeared into the darkness. She could just make out his torchlight as he went.

Silence filled the warehouse and she started to get nervous. A pigeon flapped it's wings, startling her. Her heart was hammering in her chest now.

A light breeze blew across her face, coming from nowhere. It grew into a strong wind, whipping her hair around her face. She shielded her face with her arms and screwed her eyes shut.

It died as suddenly as it appeared.

Slowly lowering her arms, she heard footsteps approaching. Her hand hovered over the gun at her side. She waved her torchlight around, trying to find the source. It suddenly fell on a figure and she screamed. She stopped when she saw it was Owen.

"God, you scared me." She gasped. "What was that? What happened?" Owen stared at her, his face blank. "Owen, are you ok?"

"I'm fine." He answered. "You were right, there's nothing here. We should go back to the Hub."

"But that wind – something happened. Didn't you feel it?" She argued.

"It probably came from outside. This place is like a wind tunnel." He said. "Come on."

Tosh watched him leave before following after him slowly.

"You're probably right." Tosh sighed as they climbed into the SUV.

As she turned to put her seatbelt on, Owen looked at her out of the corner of his eye and smirked.

Once they'd returned back to the Hub, Jack came out of his office for their report. Gwen ran up to Owen and hugged him tight.

"Missed you." She smiled.

He slowly wrapped his arms around her and smiled.

"Missed you too sweetheart." He replied.

"So, what happened at the warehouses?" Jack asked.

"The readings were strongest in the biggest warehouse but Owen searched the place and there was nothing there." Tosh explained.

"Nothing?" Jack frowned.

"No, the place was empty." Owen answered.

"But Owen did see a strange light and a shadow." Tosh told him.

"Must have been my mind playing tricks on me." He said quickly.

Everyone's eyebrows were raised as they looked at Owen.

"Ok...well Tosh, keep an eye on any more rift surges in the area." Jack ordered.

Owen turned to Gwen and smiled. She was looking up at him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What's wrong?" Owen asked.

"Nothing." She said, quickly smiling at him. "Do you fancy a coffee? There's nothing going on at the moment so we can sit in the boardroom for a bit if you want."

"Yeah ok." He nodded.

As they walked up to the boardroom, Owen grabbed her hand and held it tight in his. She leant her head on his shoulder and smiled.

"Did someone say coffee?" Ianto asked as he appeared as if from nowhere. "I'm just making a fresh pot now. I'll bring you a cup in a minute."

"Oh cheers Ianto." Gwen grinned.

"No problem." He smiled.

Gwen and Owen sat at the table in the boardroom. Owen pulled his chair as close as he could to Gwen's and put his arm around her. He used his other hand to cup her face as he leant in to kiss her.

"What's all this about?" Gwen asked.

"I just want to show you how much I love you." He told her. "Gwen, you know I'd do anything for you right?"

"I do now." She smiled. "And I'd do anything for you."

They shared another sweet kiss before sitting back in their chairs, holding each other's hands.

Ianto entered the room holding a tray of cups.

"Coffee is served." He said as he passed them each a cup.

"Thanks Ianto." Gwen nodded. "I'll be right back, I just need to pop to the loo."

Owen watched her leave the room then turned his attention to Ianto.

"Ianto, you're close to Jack Harkness aren't you?" Owen asked.

"We're...quite close yes – why?" Ianto replied.

"Come on Ianto, everyone knows you're sleeping with him." Owen laughed. "Trying to get yourself a promotion?"

"It's not like that." Ianto told him. "It's...complicated."

"You must know more about Jack than anyone else then." Owen said.

"I know as much as you know." He said. "Why the sudden interest?"

Owen stood up and made his way to stand in front of Ianto.

"Is it true he can't die?" Owen asked.

"I...have heard that." Ianto nodded. "Owen, what's going on? This isn't you."

"You're right, this isn't Owen." He whispered.

"Who are you? What have you done with Owen?" Ianto demanded.

"Jack Harkness killed my lover, Mary you called her. He sent her to the sun. I've come to take my revenge but since I can't _kill_ Harkness, I'll have to find a way of torturing him instead." He hissed. "Since you're the one closest to him, you're going to help me."

"Never." Ianto growled.

"Then I kill the girl." Owen shrugged.

"Stay away from Gwen." Ianto warned.

"Or what?" He said.

"I'll -"

"Kill me." Owen laughed. "You wouldn't. Not when there's a part of Owen still alive in here. Not to mention poor Gwen would be devastated."

"I'll tell them who you are." Ianto said.

Owen grabbed Ianto by the throat and flew with him across the room to slam him up against the wall. He started to squeeze, causing Ianto to choke. Ianto scrabbled at Owen's hand, trying to loosen it as Owen lifted him off the floor.

"You tell them anything and Gwen Cooper will die. I'm stronger than all of you put together so don't think you can beat me." Owen growled. "All I have to do is send out the signal and an army of my people will destroy this whole planet."

"Mary was a political prisoner from your planet. Why would they take revenge on Earth for killing her?" Ianto gasped.

"A prisoner, yes, but still one of our kind. An act of murder against our kind is an act of war." Owen told him. "You will help me destroy Jack Harkness or this whole planet is destroyed."

"Fine, just let Gwen go." Ianto bargained.

"No chance. She's my reassurance." Owen said. "Get me information on Harkness."

They heard someone approaching causing Owen to drop Ianto to the floor. Ianto fell to his knees, clutching his throat and gasping.

When Gwen entered the room, her eyes fell on the scene before her and she frowned.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Ianto, he took a sip of his coffee and it must have gone down the wrong way. He started choking but I sorted him out. He's alright now." Owen reassured her as he made his way over to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and looked back at Ianto. "Aren't you Ianto?"

Ianto glared at Owen, who tightened his grip on Gwen and shot him a warning look.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He nodded.

"Ianto, be more careful next time." Gwen sighed. Ianto put on a fake smile as he got up and picked up the tray of coffees for the others. As he left the room, Owen smirked and chuckled quietly. "That's not like Ianto, he's always so careful." She said as they sat back down.

"We can't always avoid accidents like that, even Ianto." Owen told her.

"True." She nodded. "Listen, how about we stay at mine tonight, order a pizza, have some wine and watch a film."

"Sounds good." He smiled. "Just make sure it's a boring film."

"Why?" She frowned.

"Because we're not going to be watching it." He whispered in her ear.

She giggled as he nibbled her ear.

"You are terrible." She laughed.

"Yeah but you love me anyway." He shrugged.

"I do." She nodded.

Ianto approached him the next day at his workstation. Gwen was sat with Owen, playing with their hands in her lap.

"Gwen sweetheart, I just need to talk with Ianto about something. I'll be right back." Owen told her.

He kissed her before following Ianto down into the autopsy bay.

"What you're doing to Gwen is sick." Ianto spat.

"What we do is none of your business." He sneered.

"I don't mean that. You're pretending to be the person she loves and trusts with all her heart. What do you think it's going to do to her when she realises that man is gone?" Ianto argued.

"I told you, he's not gone." Owen said. "He's still rattling around in here somewhere, I'll let him go when I get what I want. Anyway, what have you got on Harkness?"

"It's not that easy. There's no information on Jack Harkness anywhere and he won't tell me anything about his past." Ianto answered.

"Well then, you'd better try harder." Owen growled.

"No." Ianto said.

"No?" Owen laughed. "Well, I guess you've decided on poor Gwen's fate."

"You won't be going anywhere near Gwen." A voice said from behind Owen. Owen whipped around to see Jack pointing his gun at him. "I saw the CCTV footage of what happened last night."

"What are you talking about?" Owen laughed. "Nothing happened last night."

"You might have Gwen fooled but you can't fool me." Jack told him. "Let Owen go now."

"Jack, it is me." Owen said. "I'm your second in command."

"No, you're not. Now move. Until you let Owen go, you'll be spending time in the cells. Move it." He ordered.

Owen shook his head and laughed as he walked out of the autopsy bay, Jack following him with his gun pointed at the younger man's back.

Gwen gasped when she saw them and ran over to Owen.

"Jack, what the hell are you doing?" She asked.

"It's alright darling, Jack's just been working too hard. He thinks there's something controlling me." Owen told her.

"Don't listen to him Gwen." Jack shouted. "He's not your boyfriend."

"Of course he is, don't be stupid." Gwen argued.

"He's not and he's dangerous." He said.

"Jack's telling the truth Gwen." Ianto told her.

"I don't believe either of you." She said.

"I've had enough. You. Move. Now." Jack commanded Owen. The Captain forced Owen down to the cells. Gwen followed them, arguing all the way but he took no notice. He took Owen's swipe card away from him and pushed him into a cell. He gestured to Gwen. "Yours too."

"What?" She gasped.

"If he gets out, who knows what he'll do." He told her. "Hand it over Gwen." She sighed and gave him her swipe card. "Let him out and I'll put you in the cell next to him."

"This is ridiculous." Gwen protested. Jack ignored her and walked out of the room. She turned to Owen and put her hand on the glass between them. "I don't know what's got into him but I will make him see sense."

"It's alright. He's probably just paranoid after all that weird stuff with the rift. He'll realise he's being stupid soon enough." Owen reassured her.

"I hope so." She sighed and lowered herself to sit on the floor.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm not leaving you down here like this." She told him.

He knelt down on the floor with her and smiled.

Jack and Ianto watched the couple on the monitors at Gwen's workstation. The Captain sighed and shook his head.

"We need to get her away from him." Jack told Ianto.

"Why? He can't do anything to her while he's locked in a cell." Ianto pointed out.

"Yes he can. He knows Gwen will do anything for Owen, all he has to do is keep her on his side. He can convince her to do anything he wants." He replied.

"But Gwen wouldn't disobey orders from you, would she?" He frowned.

"Gwen's stubborn. She'll do whatever she thinks is right, even if it means going against my orders." Jack answered.

Toshiko joined them and looked at the monitor. She'd been informed of what had happened earlier.

"If she lets him out, she's in trouble." Tosh said.

"We all are." Jack told her.

"Yes but she's in more danger than us." She replied. Jack and Ianto looked at her questioningly. "Remember Mary. Her form needed to be fed every so often and she didn't care who it was she killed. If the alien inside Owen gets weak, he'll persuade Gwen to let him out. She's the first human he'll see and he will kill her."

"Oh God, I forgot. We've got to get her out of there. Now." Jack shouted.

Jack and Ianto sped off down to the cells while Tosh watched the monitors anxiously.

The couple were sat either side of the glass with their backs resting against it. Gwen sighed and she turned her body sideways on so she could look at him.

"I love you." She told him, resting her palm against the glass.

"I love you too." He smiled, placing his hand over hers.

They stared into each other's eyes as Jack and Ianto came running into the room. Jack grabbed one of Gwen's arms while Ianto grabbed the other. She gasped as they pulled her up.

"What are you doing?" She shouted.

"You need to stay away from him." Jack answered.

"No, get off me." She cried, struggling in their grip.

"Gwen, listen to us. It's for your own safety." Ianto told her.

"Let me go. No." She screamed as they dragged her from the room. Owen jumped up and began to pound on the door. "Owen." She sobbed.

"Let her go." Owen shouted. "You hurt her and I'll kill you."

"Gwen, stop." Jack ordered as she continued to struggle. "He's not Owen. He'll kill you himself if he got the chance."

"I don't believe that." She argued. "Get off me."

They let her go once they'd reached the workstations. She tried to run away but Jack grabbed hold of her arm.

"You are not to go down there and that's an order. Disobey me and I'll be forced to sedate you and take you home." He said firmly.

"You wouldn't dare." She hissed.

"You want to bet?" He asked.

She glared at him and pulled her arm out of his grip. She sat down in her chair and folded her arms over her chest.

"Gwen..." Tosh said reluctantly. "Something did happen at that warehouse. You have to believe us. He threatened Ianto. Look."

Tosh pulled up the CCTV of Owen and Ianto in the boardroom. Gwen's eyes widened as she watched it.

When it had finished, the rest of the team watched her in silence.

"I'm sorry." Jack whispered.

"You bastards." Gwen spat, jumping out of her chair.

"What?" Tosh frowned.

"You set him up, that didn't happen." She shouted. "What the hell have you got against him? He's one of us and you – you set him up."

"We didn't. Gwen -" Ianto argued.

"It's useless." Jack said. "He's inside her head. We can't make her see sense while he's still alive."

"Don't you touch him." Gwen threatened as she stood up and grabbed her gun.

"Gwen, put the gun down. We're not going to hurt him, not if Owen's still in there." Jack told her.

"He is Owen." She sobbed, the hand holding the gun shaking. Ianto slowly took it from her as she collapsed to her knees and shook with tears. Toshiko knelt beside her and placed her arm around her to have it shaken off and Gwen jumping to her feet. "Leave me alone."

"Where are you going?" Jack asked as she started to walk away.

"To get a drink. Is that ok with you?" She asked sarcastically.

Without waiting for an answer, she began to walk away again while the others watched her sadly.

"You still got her swipe card?" Jack asked Ianto quietly. Gwen turned her head slightly and saw Ianto nod and pat his jacket pocket out of the corner of her eye. She turned away quickly and carried on. "Good. No matter how much she begs, you can't give it to her."

"I know, I won't." Ianto promised.

While the others weren't looking, Gwen quickly changed course and headed back down to the vaults. She ran over to Owen's cell and pressed both hands against the glass.

"Gwen, did they hurt you?" Owen demanded.

"No." She answered.

"Good." He said.

"Owen, Jack's ordered me not to come down here." She told him. "They've made fake CCTV footage of you threatening Ianto. Why are they doing this to us Owen?"

She started to sob again and he pressed his forehead against the glass.

"Hey, it's alright." He said gently. "They're just jealous Gwen. We love each other and they're jealous of that. Jack can't die. He can't afford to love. He has to watch everyone grow old and die while he stays stuck in time. Ianto loves Jack but he knows Jack will never be able to return that love and Toshiko's jealous of the love we've found. Love that she didn't think possible with this job. They're trying to separate us Gwen."

"I'll never let that happen." Gwen told him determinedly. Owen's form shook slightly and he groaned. "Owen, what's wrong?"

"Did I ever tell you I hate small spaces?" He lied. "Gwen, get me out of here."

"I will. I promise." She said and walked off.

She made her way over to the coffee area and waited for Ianto to arrive.

As predicted, he arrived shortly to make a fresh pot of coffee.

"Hey Gwen." He said quietly.

"Hey." She replied.

"I'm...would you like a coffee?" He asked.

"Please." She nodded.

An awkward silence fell between them.

"I'm really sorry." He said.

She smiled sadly and stepped up to him. He put his arms around her shoulders as she wrapped hers around his waist.

"I know Ianto. It's not your fault. No matter what happens, just remember it's not your fault." She said as she slipped her hand into his jacket pocket. Gwen pulled out the swipe card and hid it behind her back as she let go of Ianto. "Could you bring my coffee through to the boardroom? I just...want to be alone for a while."

"Sure." He smiled.

She turned and walked away, the card between her fingers. On the way, she grabbed her gun just in case someone tried to stop her.

When she reached Owen's cell, he was leaning against the wall and breathing heavily.

"Please tell me you've come to get me out." He said.

Gwen grinned and held up the card.

"Ianto never even noticed me taking it from his pocket." She said proudly.

"Oh, you clever girl." He smiled.

Ianto made his way to the boardroom with Gwen's drink. He frowned when he saw she wasn't there.

"Gwen?" He called, putting the cup on the table. He froze as a thought popped into his mind. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he fumbled around for the card but found none. "Shit." Ianto ran down to Jack's office. "Jack, it's Gwen. She's taken her card."

Jack jumped out his chair and sped down to the vaults.

"How the hell did she get it?" He yelled.

"She – we hugged and she must have taken it out of my pocket." Ianto answered as he followed Jack.

When they arrived, Owen was out of his cell and he and Gwen were in a tight embrace. Owen pulled away when he heard them coming. He grabbed Gwen's gun from her and held her tight to his chest as he pointed it at her head.

"Owen." She gasped. "What – what are you doing?"

"Should've listened to them Gwen. You should have stayed away when they warned you." He whispered in her ear.

"No." She sobbed. "What have you done with Owen?"

"I'll let them both go." Owen said, addressing Jack now. "If you let me go."

"Ok, ok. Let them go." Jack said.

His grip on Gwen loosened then he grabbed her tight again.

"No." Owen said and looked to Ianto. "You said you'd help me destroy Jack Harkness otherwise I'd kill the girl. You broke your word. Plus, destroying her would be a good start to my plan."

He cocked the gun and pressed it to the side of her head. Jack grabbed his own gun and pointed it at him.

"Put the gun down." Jack growled.

"Oh go ahead, get us both shot. I can remove myself from this body before the bullet even touches me. You'll just be killing two team members." He shrugged.

Gwen squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable.

Suddenly, she was pushed forward causing her to stumble into Ianto's arms. He caught her and held her tight as she shook with fright and shock.

They all looked towards Owen who seemed to be struggling against himself.

"What's happening?" Ianto asked.

"It's Owen – the real Owen – he's fighting back." Jack answered. Owen aimed the gun at Gwen again, only to find his arm protesting. Instead he ended up pointing the gun at himself. "He'd rather kill himself and the alien than see Gwen get hurt."

"No." Gwen screamed and tore herself out of Ianto's grip.

She pounced on Owen, knocking them both to the ground. The gun skidded across the floor towards Jack and Ianto.

As Gwen clung to Owen's form sobbing, a blue light filled the room. Ianto stepped forward to pull her away but Jack stopped him.

"She'll be ok." He whispered.

They watched the alien remove itself from Owen and turn to look at them.

"This isn't over Harkness." It hissed before zooming through the roof.

"Jack, he said he would send out a signal and his people would destroy the Earth." Ianto told him.

"Don't worry about it." Jack said.

"Why not?" Ianto demanded.

Jack watched as Gwen sobbed into a lifeless Owen's chest.

"He won't be coming back and neither will any of his kind." Jack answered.

"But how can you be so sure?" Ianto shouted.

"The alien had access to Owen's memories and feelings. That's how he found out about his and Gwen's relationship. He tried to control those feelings in both of them, but no one has power over love. It's the most powerful emotion a person can have. When Owen risked his life for Gwen's, he saw what humans were willing to do for love and it scared him. If we risk our lives for loved ones, what else would we risk? An army of aliens would be no match against it." Jack explained. "I guess love just isn't the same where they come from. He'll go back, tell his people what happened and they'll learn to stay away."

"Do you really think so?" Ianto asked.

"I hope so." Jack sighed, still watching Gwen.

"He will be ok, won't he? Owen?" Ianto murmured.

"I don't know." Jack said quietly. "We can only hope that alien didn't harm him before he left."

"Owen, wake up. Please." Gwen sobbed.

Jack's gaze dropped to the floor as she shook his shoulders. Ianto looked away, his hands clenching into fists. The sound of Gwen's cries filled the silence of the room.

Suddenly, Owen gasped and his eyes flew open. His breath came out in pants as his eyes darted around the room.

"Gwen." He whispered.

"I'm here sweetheart." She said quickly, leaning over him. "I'm right here. Oh God you're ok."

Jack sighed and closed his eyes in relief. When he opened them, he tugged Ianto out of the room to allow the couple time to themselves.

Gwen cupped Owen's cheek in her hands and smiled.

"Where did it go?" He asked.

"It's gone." She answered. His face broke into a smile as he covered her hand with his. She used her other hand to hit him hard on the arm between her words. "Don't – you – ever – do – that – again."

"Ouch." He groaned. "Do what?"

"Try and kill yourself." She said.

"I was doing it for you. I wasn't going to let him kill you." He argued.

"Well don't do it again. I couldn't bear it if you weren't in my world any more." She told him. She bent over him and captured his lips in a kiss. "But thank you."

He pulled her down into another kiss, running his thumb along her cheek.

"This is fine and everything but could you help me up now? This floor's not too comfortable." He said.

She laughed and stood up, holding her hand out for him to take. When she helped him up, he kept hold of her hand and pulled her against his chest into a hug. He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes.

"Owen, I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." He told her.

"He didn't hurt you did he? The alien?" She asked.

"No, he didn't, not physically anyway." He answered.

"What do you mean? What did he do?" She panicked.

"It just bothered me that he was touching you in ways only I'm allowed to. He was telling you things I wanted to tell you myself." He told her.

"Like what?" She asked.

"Like how I'd do anything for you. You tell me you want me to take on a whole army of aliens unarmed, I'd do it to make you happy." He said.

"Owen that meant more to me than when I thought it was you the first time. This time I know it's the Owen I know talking." She smiled. "And just so you know, if I knew it wasn't you, I never would have let him touch me." Placing a hand on his chest, she leant up to whisper in his ear. "Only _you_ get that privilege."

"Listen, guys -" Gwen spun around to see Jack in the doorway. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting but if you want, you can take the rest of the day off. You deserve it, it's been an emotional day."

"Thanks Jack." Gwen nodded. He smiled and left them alone. Gwen turned to Owen and took his hand. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Where do you want to go?" He asked as they left the Hub.

"Anywhere." She smiled. "And you're driving."

She threw her car keys to Owen and stepped up to the passenger side.

"Your car? You're letting me drive your car?" He laughed. She shrugged and waited for him to unlock the car. "Alright. Anywhere in particular you want to go?"

"Nope." She said as they climbed in.

"I know where to go." He said.

"Where?" She asked.

"You'll see." He smiled.

Gwen grew more and more confused as they drove out of Cardiff and down winding country roads. Fields began to stretch out in front of them as they left the city behind.

They drove for hours and she tried to work out where they were going but every time she thought she'd worked it out, Owen changed direction.

"Oh, I know." She laughed. "The middle of nowhere."

"Exactly." Owen nodded. "Somewhere we can be alone. Somewhere we can enjoy the peace and quiet." The sun was setting when Owen finally stopped the car at the end of a dirt road. "We're here, I guess."

"It's beautiful." She smiled as she looked out the window at the view.

Owen climbed out of the car and gestured for her to do the same. While he waited, he moved to the front of the car and leant against the bonnet. She joined him seconds later and he wrapped an arm around her waist as she leant her head against his shoulder.

"I wish we could do this every day." He sighed. "When everything gets hectic, I wish we could just get in the car and come somewhere like this. Get away from all of that. Sometimes I just...it gets too much you know."

She smiled sadly up at him.

"I know it does. Are you forgetting the first night I came to yours?" She said. "I was crying my eyes out because it all got too much. You put your arm around me and told me everything would be fine -"

"Because we had each other to talk to whenever we needed." He finished.

"Exactly. That still stands you know. Just because our relationship's changed slightly, it doesn't mean we can't talk. I'm always here for you, you know that. So if you need to talk, just tell me and I'll listen." She told him.

He nodded and she placed a gentle kiss on his lips. She moved to stand in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He'd turned off the engine but left the radio on. As a song began to play, Owen held her face in his hand and ran his thumb across her cheek.

"It's a beautiful night  
>We're looking for something dumb to do<br>Hey baby  
>I think I wanna marry you."<p>

The warmth in Gwen's green eyes flowed down her arms and through his body. He brushed a hair behind her ear before placing his hands on her hips and smiling at the amazing woman in his arms. Her figure was outlined with the golden light from the setting sun making her look like an angel.

"Is it the look in your eyes  
>Or is it this dancing juice?<br>Who cares, baby  
>I think I wanna marry you."<p>

"Gwen, how long have we known each other?" He asked.

"Erm...just over six months...I think." She answered.

"And how long have we been together?" He asked.

"Just over two months." She told him. "Why?"

"So would it be completely stupid if..." He looked away in embarrassment and laughed.

"What?" She asked.

"No, it's stupid – totally stupid." He mumbled, shaking his head.

"No come on, tell me. I won't laugh." She urged. He looked up out of the corner of his eyes and saw her giving him her cute puppy dog look. "Please."

"You know I can't resist when you give me that look." He groaned.

"Please, please tell me." She begged.

He sighed and tried to pluck up the courage to tell her.

"I was just going to say...I don't have a ring or anything but...would it be completely stupid if...I asked you to marry me." He said. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. "I told you – just forget I ever said anything. It's too soon I know. It was just a stupid idea I -"

He was cut off by Gwen's fingers pressing against his lips.

"Owen...we've only been seeing each other two months." She said.

"I know." He sighed.

"Let me finish." She said. "We've only been seeing each other for two months but I've never been this happy with anyone. I love you more than I've loved anyone. I just...I think it's too soon."

"You're right." He nodded.

"Will you please let me finish?" She laughed. "Now I'm not saying 'yes let's get married right now' but I'm not saying no." Owen looked at her confused. She laughed at him and shook her head. "Basically, my answer is yes but maybe we could hold off the wedding until next year or something."

"So...does that mean we're engaged?" He asked.

"Yes." She smiled.

He grinned as he lifted her off her feet and spun her around. She giggled and clung to him. When he put her down on her feet, their lips met in a passionate kiss. One of his hands tangled in her hair while the other pressed against the small of her back. Her arms tightened around his neck as she pulled him as close to her as she could. They were gasping for air when they broke apart.

"So, if you won't marry me now, how about you just move in with me instead?" He suggested.

"Yeah, alright then." She nodded.

"Don't sound so enthusiastic then." He laughed.

"Sorry." She giggled. "I am excited, I promise."

"Well anyway, I suppose we'd better be heading back. We've got to pick up your stuff and take it back to mine." He said.

"Just another half hour." She pouted. "I just want some more time to be us without getting interrupted. Especially after what happened."

"Ok." He said.

He sat back on the bonnet and pulled Gwen to stand between his legs with her back to his chest. He rested his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist. Gwen crossed her arms over her chest and placed her hands over his.

The song was just finishing as they watched the sun setting.

"Who cares, baby  
>I think I wanna marry you."<p>

Gwen looked at him over her shoulder and smiled. Owen placed kisses on her cheek and the tip of her nose before placing one on her lips. She slid her hand up to run her fingers through his hair. They pulled away and smiled as they looked into each other's eyes. Gwen turned back to look out at the view.

When it grew dark, she started to shiver. Owen took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"Owen...let's go home." She said.

"Yeah, come on." He nodded. "Look it's late, do you mind if we leave getting your stuff until tomorrow?"

"No that's fine." She replied.

"Good, because I'd like to take my fiancée to _our_ home and make love to her in _our_ bed, if that's ok with you." He told her.

"Oh that's more than ok." She grinned.

"Cool. Let's go." He said, giving her arse a quick slap before climbing into the car.

"Cheeky." She laughed.

"Yeah but you love it." He shrugged.

Gwen climbed into her seat and pulled Owen across the gap between the seats.

"You bet I do." She breathed before clamping her lips onto his.

**A/N:** Well, thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed it! I don't know if there are any Merlin fans reading this but I'm thinking of doing a Merlin/Torchwood crossover as my next fanfic. Anyway, thanks again for reading! Love you all! xxx


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